When I watched the Vietnamese food-themed episode of “Take Out with Lisa Ling,” I knew I had to pair the show with my favorite Vietnamese dish: a tofu bánh mì.

This vegan, gluten-free recipe makes 2 sandwiches.

Quick Pickle Ingredients
0.33 cups water
0.33 cups rice vinegar
0.25 teaspoons sugar
0.25 teaspoons salt
2 carrots
1 small cucumber
1 small daikon
1 jalapeño
a quarter of a cilantro bunch

Marinated Tofu Ingredients
1 14-ounce block firm tofu, pressed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons tamari
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
0.25 teaspoons black pepper
lime zest from 1 lime
juice from 1 lime

Sandwich Ingredients
1 gluten-free, vegan baguette
2 tablespoons vegan mayo
1 block fried, marinated tofu, divided into 4 pieces
pickled vegetables
additional fresh cilantro

Instructions
You should make your pickles and start marinating your tofu about 24 hours before you want to eat your sandwiches.

Start pressing your tofu before you make the pickles. I have a fancy tofu press. You can also use a couple of small cutting boards: put the tofu between them then put a couple books on top to press excess moisture out of the tofu.

Mix the water, vinegar, sugar and salt. Set the brine aside.

Chop the carrots, cucumber and daikon into strips or shreds and slice the jalapeño. Divide the cilantro up from a bunch into individual strands or leaves.

Place the veggies and cilantro in a jar. Top with the brine. If the brine doesn’t cover your veggies, add a little extra water and vinegar to top it off.

Put the lid on the jar and shake it up a bit. Chill the pickled veggies in the fridge until you make your sandwiches.

Mix together the olive oil, tamari, ginger, garlic powder, black pepper, lime zest and lime juice. Set the marinade aside.

Slice your tofu into four pieces. I cut it through the center of the brick and then cut it down the center to make 4 thin, long pieces.

Place the tofu in a container and pour the marinade over the top.

Tightly cover the tofu container and shake so all of the pieces get covered.

Refrigerate the marinating tofu until it’s sandwich time.

Start sandwich time by preheating your air fryer at 400°F for 1 minute.

While it is preheating, cut your baguette in half, slice it open and scoop out some of the insides so you can fit all the lovely sandwich fillings. Toast your baguette in the air fryer at 400°F for 1 minute.

When the baguette is done, place the four slices of tofu in the fryer basket and drizzle any extra marinade over the top.

Fry the tofu at 400°F for 3 minutes, turn it and then fry it for 3 more minutes. If you don’t have an air fryer, you can pan fry your tofu.

While the tofu is frying, spread the mayo on the inside of both halves of the baguette, top and bottom.

Put 2 slices of fried tofu on each bottom piece of bread. Top with some of the pickles and as much extra fresh cilantro as you want.

You will have some extra pickled veggies to use for other sandwiches, salads or wraps in the next week or two.

Enjoy your tofu bánh mì with an episode or six of “Take Out!”

The Easy Route
You could buy pickled mixed vegetables and/or get a pre-marinated tofu to make this process a little easier. I did buy sliced, pickled jalapeños to make this easier for me.

Of course, the easiest route is to have a tofu bánh mì from your favorite Vietnamese restaurant ready for delivery or take out, which would be great considering the show pairing.

The Pairing
I grew up watching renowned journalist Lisa Ling on TV, and I also have consumed more than my fair share of Asian and Asian-American food in my life.

So when I heard she was hosting “Take Out,” a show that highlights Asian restaurants and food from across the country and around the world, I was very intrigued.

At only six episodes, I could not get enough and wound up tearing through them all in one weekend.

“Take Out” combines all the characteristics of some of my favorite food shows with the lens of a journalist who grew up eating a lot of the foods she’s sharing with the world while still finding things she didn’t know and allowing her to explore her journalistic curiosities.

As a former journalist myself, I found this format to be particularly compelling.

If you decide to make a tofu bánh mì and/or watch “Take Out with Lisa Ling,” let us know! Tag us in your Instagram posts & stories, threads, tweets or TikTok videos: @veg_out_recipes